


Welcome to the Meow Town Café

by otayuriistheliteralbest



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Cat cafe AU, M/M, Yuri is a Photographer, background Mila/Sara - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 00:13:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12642138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otayuriistheliteralbest/pseuds/otayuriistheliteralbest
Summary: Yuri didn't expect to spend his birthday morning at a cat cafe. Nor did he expect to meet probably the most gorgeous man on the face of the planet.Or, in which Yuri Plisetsky is a photographer in New York City, Otabek Altin owns a cat cafe, and Yuri inadvertently saves Otabek's business through social media's obsession with adorable cat photos.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to kymbawee for the fantastic prompt - this is going to be a heck of a lot longer than the 2k fic I promised. Enjoy!! <3
> 
> Thanks also to Francowitch and TheInsaneFox for the edits! Love you both!

****“Where are you taking me, _Baba_?” Yuri growled in annoyance. His best friend, a perky red head with far too much energy for an early Saturday morning, was bouncing ahead of him as they walked along the city street to his “mystery birthday surprise!” (Mila’s words). The two had been out late the night before, and it was all Yuri could do to keep his eyes open behind dark, thick sunglasses. Celebrating his 21st birthday with the self-titled Party Queen had been a mistake because they didn’t even get to bed until — Yuri glanced at his phone — four hours ago, and they were already up and roaming the City.

Yuri shoved his phone back into his leather jacket, scraping the concrete below his feet with tiger print shoes as they walked. He trudged to her bound. How on earth the girl could be this bubbly after a long night of drinking Yuri would never understand. It was like she could never get hangovers. It must be witchcraft. That was the only explanation that Yuri could think of.

“Don’ t worry, little Yurio, you will see soon enough!” Mila called out over her shoulder. She wore this bright pink sundress with flowers scattered all around it and a thick sweater and white leggings. Yuri rolled his eyes at the insanity of wearing spring clothes on March 1st — it was still winter, for fuck’s sake!

“I am not little any more, Mila!” He said, rolling his eyes. “Twenty one years old, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, you will always be my little brother in my mind, Yuri,” she said, grinning. Red hair fanned around her head as she turned back around to keep walking, glancing back every once in a while to make sure that Yuri was still following behind her.

New York City was ugly. There was grime and trash everywhere, and people just bustling about their normal days trying to pretend that the decay the lay underneath was not there. Yuri liked that, that it wasn’t this perfect quaint town where nothing went wrong. He had hated that about his home town. That was why, when Mila asked if he wanted to move into the City with her, he jumped at the chance.

Yuri worked as a freelance photographer, one of the few lucky gigs to have happened in his life. His _dedushka_ had gifted him with a perfect-condition Nikon F2 film SLR for his birthday one year in high school, and he had built up his portfolio making money doing shoots for seniors and the like. _Dedushka_ said he had an eye for framing photographs and did a marvelous job. It made Yuri’s heart sing to hear that from the old man. He smiled, thinking about him. He should call him today, he knew that _dedushka_ was at his framing studio in their old podunk town most days.

Thinking about the camera, Yuri unclipped the case from around its body and checked the settings. He wound the film and set the camera up to his eye, framing Mila’s ever retreating back against the backdrop of the city. Trees framed her to one side, brownstones on the other, and the lighting was just right on this cloudy day. He snapped a photo, then pulled the handle to wind the film again.

“Hey, Mila!” He called out, camera raised to his eye. She turned and he snapped another photo as she spun, her hand raised to her hair. That one was going to be perfect.

“Yuri, what did I say about taking my photo?” Mila asked teasingly.

“Do it as many times and as often as I can?” Yuri responded innocently.

“Exactly. Now come on, we’re almost there!” She grabbed his arm and tugged Yuri along the sidewalk. They walked like that for two more blocks before coming face to face with a... cat cafe?

The red awning over the window proudly displayed the name _Meow Town Café_ , and Yuri gasped when he looked in the window. A couple of adorable tabby cats sat sunning in the large display on a perch, snuggled together on the raised platform. They were surrounded by displays of cat toys and tea cups.

“We’re at a cat cafe, Mila,” Yuri said excitedly. “You brought me to a cat cafe for my birthday?”

Mila giggled and nudged the blond toward the front door. “Yes, silly, it just opened up this month. Surprise!”

Yuri settled his camera strap around his neck and opened the door to the shop, a little bell tinkling as he entered.

“Welcome to the Meow Town Café!” A cheerful tanned woman with sparkling purple eyes stood behind the counter. “Is this your first time at a cat caf— Oh, Mila!”

Yuri turned, eyebrow raised, to look down at the red head. “A birthday present for _me_ , eh?” He asked bemusedly.

Mila flushed and looked away from Yuri, squeezing around him in the doorway to greet the woman behind the counter.

“Hello, Sara!” The redhead gave her a hug over the counter. “This is my friend Yuri Plisetsky, the one I was telling you about? It’s his birthday today and he _loves_ cats, so I thought this would be the perfect treat for him!”

“Oh, really?” A sly look crossed Sara’s face that Yuri wasn’t all that sure he liked. What were these two women planning, anyway? “Well in that case, your first cup of coffee is on the house! What can I get you?”

Yuri looked up at the menu behind Sara’s shoulder. All of the drinks had cutesy cat-themed names, which normally he would appreciate, but he was still slightly hungover and didn't think he could hold down anything sugary sweet.

“Can I get the 'chat latte'? A quad shot for my aching head,” Yuri asked. The women laughed at the comment, which he opted to ignore, and instead started looking around the cafe. It was a large open room, with cushions on the floor, low chairs and tables, and the most intricately shaped cat tree he had ever seen. Yuri called it a tree, but the structure spanned the entire room and up along the ceiling. There were tunnels and twists, a rope and plank bridge like you see in those movies where the hero has to cross a sheer drop between cliff faces. Cats of all types were lounging and trotting along the available space. Everything was just beautifully crafted with the cats in mind, and he let out a low whistle of admiration.

“I take it you like the cafe?” An amused voice asked behind Yuri. He twisted around to find... probably the most gorgeous man he had ever seen in his life. His hands itched to pick up the camera around his neck.

“Y- yeah.” Yuri coughed, clearing his throat. “Yeah, I do. I love all of the trees and stuff for the cats to climb on.” God, he sounded like an idiot. This guy probably thought he was a complete dumbass.

“Thank you, I designed it myself. My name is Otabek Altin, I’m the owner of the Meow Town Café. Have you been to a cat cafe before?”

Yuri shook his head mutely, eyes still wide as he stared at the man. Otabek. It sounded lovely rolling off his tongue.

“Well, all of the cats in the cafe are adoptable, we work through a couple of rescue networks in the City to find all these lovely creatures new homes,” Otabek explained. “You’re here in the slower part of the day, so stay as long as you like. Just respect the cats’ moods and don’t pick them up. If one of them jumps on your lap, though, that is fine, though I will tell you it doesn’t happen all that often.”

“Otabek,” Sara interjected, “It’s Yuri’s birthday today.”

The corners of Otabek’s mouth quirked up in what Yuri guessed was the man’s version of a smile. “Oh, well happy birthday, Yuri. Enjoy the cafe and let me know if any of the cats sparks your interest.”

Yuri nodded his head at Otabek, who chuckled and headed back into what Yuri guessed was the storage room behind the counter. Sara plunked a mug with _‘Meow Town Café’_ emblazoned on the front in bright purple letters on the counter as Otabek passed her. Yuri didn’t notice - he was distracted by the view of the other man’s ass in tight-fitting jeans as he retreated.

“Yuriiiiii,” Mila said in a sing- song voice, snapping her fingers in front of his face. “Stop drooling, here’s your chat latte you ordered.”

Yuri shook his head at his best friend. “I have _no_ idea what you are talking about, _Baba_. I’m going to sit with some cats and enjoy my coffee. _You_ can just stay here and flirt with your friend.”

Mila sputtered. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Yurio. Enjoy the cats.”

Sara snorted to herself behind the counter and tugged on Mila’s hand, bringing her closer to the counter, as Yuri walked away from them both and settled on one of the large floor cushions, taking a sip of his latte. He grinned at the drink when he first saw it - there was a cat face drawn in the foam. Yuri set the mug on the low coffee table next to his cushion, and it wasn’t long before a couple of cats made their way to where he was sitting, mewls and requests for pets duly noted and administered. Yuri smiled to himself as a lone ragdoll cat with the fluffiest fur he had ever felt snuck up onto his lap and promptly fell asleep, purring to herself contentedly.

“She likes you. That’s a rarity,” Otabek’s voice came from above, making Yuri jerk in surprise. The ragdoll cat stretched at the movement and settled back into a new position. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you. I thought you heard me come over.”

“No, it’ s okay. I was a little distracted,” Yuri said. “What is this one’s name?”

Otabek blushed and looked down. He crouched down next to Yuri’s cushion and scratched gently at the ragdoll’s ears. “She’s a bit of a weird one - the previous owner had to give this poor girl up because her son developed an allergy to her. The son named her Puma Tiger Scorpion, but we call her Poyta for short.”

Yuri smiled down at the cat in his lap, stroking her fur gently so as to not awaken her. “Puma Tiger Scorpion - I like that.”

The pair spent a couple of minutes in amiable silence, petting Potya and playing with the other cats while she slept. Otabek stood up slowly and stretched out his back.

“Well, I have to get back to work now. It was nice talking to you, Yuri,” he said.

Yuri looked up at the other man, his sharp jawline perfectly accented by the lighting in the cafe at that moment.

“Hold on a sec,” he said, “stay still.” Yuri lifted his camera up to his face and quickly adjusted the settings, snapping the photo. “Thank you.”

There was a flush on Otabek’s cheeks as he walked away.

Yuri spent the rest of their time in the cat cafe taking photos of the cats on perches, tails swishing, peaking around behind poles and even Puma Tiger Scorpion, who came out of her cuddle coma only to try to drink Yuri’s coffee, which had gone cold in his distraction — which he blamed wholeheartedly on the tantalizing view of Otabek bent over and lifting boxes. By the end of the two hours, Yuri had used up three rolls of film and had fallen in love with the fat ragdoll cat... and maybe a little bit with a certain cafe owner.

—

“Yoooouuuu really hit it off with Otabek, Yuri!” Mila said cheerfully as they walked down the street to the subway a couple hours later.

“Oh yeah, what about you and that Sara chick? Don’t tell me that you dressed up just for little ol’ me, Mila.”

“Ha ha, very funny, little Yurio,” Mila responded, prodding him in the side. “Still... I have a date with her for next weekend!” She practically squealed at the statement, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

Yuri just rolled his eyes. “Of course you do. Now let me go get some more sleep, I have a shoot this evening and I don’t want to be completely dead to the world when I go.”

“Okay, okay, let’s head home, then. You want to stop by the ‘shop to get your film developed?” Mila asked.

“Yeah, I want to see how these photos turned out and get them on my website as soon as I can. I haven‘t taken as many photos of animals, and everyone loves cats.” Yuri did not feel the need to tell Mila that he had snuck probably the equivalent of an entire roll of film of Otabek - his tight smile, just going about his business in the cafe, bent over... They had mostly had the cafe to themselves, and Yuri thoroughly enjoyed giving all of the cats the attention they deserved, and had a couple of new scratches on his hands for his effort. It was totally worth it.

They rode the subway the short distance to the stop closest to the camera shop, and Mila trailed in behind Yuri while he chatted with the worker behind the counter.

“Hey, Chris, can you get this film developed for me?” Yuri asked, plopping the rolls on the counter in front of him. “Maybe for pick up tomorrow?”

“Ah, _mon cher_ , we are so backlogged right now, it might take a few days longer than that, even for you,” Christophe said.

Yuri bit his lip and stared into the large Swiss man’s eyes. “Not even for my birthday?” He asked innocently.

Chris perked up with a grin. “ _Bon,_ _mon cher_ , why did you not say that it was your birthday? _Bien sur_ , I can develop these photos for you _tout de suite_. Are you free later tonight? I would be more than happy to get them developed as quick as I can. Say, eight o’clock?”

Yuri smiled up at Chris. “I have a shoot at five, but it should be over by seven and then I’ll be free. I would be happy to swing by after to pick up the film. Could you make me a contact print while you’re at it? I’m going to scan them in when I get home, but I’ d love to see what I’m working with, yeah?”

Chris slapped a hand to his chest loudly, exclaiming, “Oh, _mon cher_ , you wound me! How could I not think of that on my own? For you, I will do it.”

“Thank you so much, Chris. I appreciate it,” Yuri said, waving a hand over his shoulder as he walked out the door, Mila trailing behind him.

They only had a few blocks to go to make it back to their apartment, and silently decided to walk the remaining distance.

“You know,” Mila piped up, “you’re going to seriously ‘wound’ Christophe one day, when he realizes that your flirting isn’t anything serious.”

Yuri rolled his eyes at his best friend. “Chris knows that I don’t mean anything by it, _Baba._ And besides, it’s fun to flirt with someone when you both know that nothing is going to come of it.”

“If you say so...” Mila said, trailing off in thought.

They walked the remaining distance in companionable silence, each in their own little world. Yuri couldn’t stop thinking of that cat cafe owner, that Otabek. He normally thought that that undercut hairstyle he sported was a total fuckboi look, but on Otabek it looked sharp. Like he was sure of himself and his place in the world. And he clearly loved cats, which was a major plus in Yuri’s book. And the way he smiled... the blond hated people who had huge, all-consuming smiles, it was like they were trying to hide something behind all the teeth. It was creepy. But a small smile like the one Otabek showed Yuri just made his insides turn inside out. It was like they had a little secret shared between the two of them, and nothing else in the world mattered.

Who knew, Yuri was probably reading too much into his interactions with Otabek, but the way the man just _stared_ at him, like maybe he was a long-lost friend or something, had Yuri craving more, wanting to see the man again sooner than later. Was tomorrow too soon to go back to the cat cafe? Or should he wait until the next day?

Yuri took a very long, very satisfying nap after a quick lunch and then headed off to his photoshoot. He cringed when he remembered just who it was for - the famous Jean-Jacques Leroy and his fiancée had requested Yuri _specifically_ for their engagement photos in Central Park, as if that wasn’t hokey enough, but they were constantly stopped by the singer’s fans to sign autographs and Yuri just grit his teeth through it. He used up more rolls of film than he would have liked on the lovey dovey couple, and ran over his time with them.

By the end of the shoot, he was exhausted but had gotten enough good photos to make the couple happy. He was glad to be going back to the ‘shop right away, because it meant that he would be able to drop them off to be developed while also getting his precious film from the morning back from Christophe.

Yuri rode the long subway ride to the ‘shop, not even bothering to stop at home to drop off his camera and equipment bags, and barely managed to squeeze his way through the door. Christophe came out of the back room right as Yuri entered, plopping his bags right next to the counter, breathing heavily from the weight of it all.

“Perfect timing, _mon cher_ , I just finished making the last contact sheet for you,” Chris told him. “And I can certainly see why you were so anxious to get them back. Who is this scrumptious delight you have managed to capture so beautifully?”

Yuri flushed red hot. “Who, Mila? You know her — short, red headed with a hidden undercut, likes to wear sundresses in the dead of winter?”

Chris just _tsked_ at him knowingly. “Yuri, you and I both know that that is not who I am talking about at all.” He handed the developed film and contact sheets to Yuri, and he pulled the pages up to his face to squint at them.

There were a lot of great shots in here. Mila at the beginning of the day was radiant, and he would definitely print that one for her and frame it for her birthday. He glanced through the tiny thumbnail sized images at the riot of color of the cats from the cafe and their personalities that shone so perfectly on film

There. There were the photos he had snuck of Otabek, taken in rapid succession while he pretended to be taking photos of Puma Tiger Scorpion. he was chatting with Mila and Sara, who weren’t visible in the photos, and had such a relaxed demeanor that Yuri could not resist taking a couple of photos of him. And there was the photo he had taken when Otabek knew that he was taking it - the quirk of his lips sent Yuri reeling, wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips and feel the smile grow under his mouth.

Yuri did not realize just how long he had been standing there staring at the contact sheet until he heard a small _hem hem_ from in front of him, and he glanced up into the knowing eyes of Christophe. he quirked an eyebrow at the man.

“I have no idea what you are talking about. How much do I owe you, Chris?” Yuri deflected. He paid the other man and dropped off the far too many rolls of film from his shoot with JJ and Isabella, to be picked up later that week, and went home swiftly, protecting the sleeve of film and contact prints in the cradle of his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Yuri spent his birthday night at the computer, scanning all of the film from the _Meow Town Café_ into his desktop computer, altering the photos in Photoshop until they were perfect. He created an album on his website and Facebook page dedicated to the cat cafe and deposited all of his favorite photos into the albums - all his favorite photos of the cats, that was. He kept all of the photos of Otabek for himself, only a light blush on his cheeks to show that maybe he was not keeping them for the most innocent of reasons.

He posted one photo from the cat cafe on his Instagram, tagging the Meow Town Café in the photo. It was of the two tabbies he had seen in the window on his way into the cafe, curled up in each others’ legs until it looked like they were hugging one another so tightly they were trying to become one. Yuri captioned the photo, 'Best Cat Cafe ever! #meowtowncafe #NYCcatcafe #catsofinstagram.'

That done, Yuri plopped into bed and pulled the comforter tight over his head, falling fast asleep and dreaming of cats and undercuts.

—

The next morning, Yuri awoke to hundreds of notifications from Facebook and Instagram. He shook his head, amused at the Internet’s obsession with cats, and responded to some of the comments and ‘liked’ others. A couple of his followers asked where the cafe was so they could visit it, and Yuri didn‘t think anything of posting the address to the Meow Town Café in the comments.

He closed his phone and contemplated his day. Yuri had nothing planned, no real set schedule in place, being a freelance photographer he relied mostly on appointments and word of mouth. He stretched and rolled out of bed with a _thump_ on the ground.

“Oww...” Yuri muttered to himself, rubbing his elbow where it had hit the (thankfully) carpeted floor. He got up gracefully to his feet and rolled his shoulders back and forth, glancing out the window to a bright, smog-filled day. He needed some fresh air. Nothing he could find in the City streets proper, but maybe…

Yuri groaned at himself. Why did he want to go back to Central Park after yesterday’s shoot? He sighed and tugged on torn black jeans and leather boots with buckles that ran up the sides for show. He scrounged around on his floor until he found one of his favorite tiger t-shirts, a maroon one with a black and white tiger growling on it. The shirt hung loose on him, just the way he liked it. Yuri tied his hair up in a pony tail and shrugged on his leather jacket. He counted the rolls of film in his camera bag - only five, he would need to buy more from Chris when he stopped back in to pick up the developed film for Jean Jacques Leroy’s engagement shoot. It would be enough for the day, at least.

Yuri pulled the bag on over his head and headed out the door, banging loudly as he shut it and Yuri was satisfied to hear a groan of dissatisfaction from Mila’s room - little miss Party Queen was a late sleeper on days she didn’t have to get to the beauty school where she modeled.

The blond rode the subway to the closest stop to Central Park and got out of the mad crush of people as quickly as he could. Today was another crisp, cloud-covered day and Yuri was so thankful for the good lighting. He crossed a bridge to go down to the Pond, not getting too far into the park, just far enough in to get away from the main road. Yuri loved the Pond. It was one of the first places he and Mila had visited after they moved to New York City, when the trees were covered in leaves and birds of all kinds floated on the water.

This time of year, there were a couple of brave ducks skirting the ice that did not quite reach the middle of the pond. Yuri crouched down with his camera, setting the shutter speed and aperture to blur out the background of the old stone bridge and focusing on the pair of ducks. He wound the film and snapped a photo, double checked his light meter, and raised the camera once again to his eye. He spent the better part of an hour wandering around the pond, meditative and in tune with his camera.

Yuri finally noticed that his hands were freezing and he was shivering all over and he cursed himself for not bringing a scarf or gloves. It would just be his luck to get sick right after his birthday for his own stupidity. He checked his phone for the time, and realized he had had it muted for the past hour. His notifications, far from calming down, had exploded. Yuri’s Instagram account was getting bombarded with tags, and he scrolled through them quickly, only to realize that they were all photos from people who were visiting the Meow Town Café.

_@catfan3000 said ‘OMG THIS CAT CAFE IS PERFECTION!!!! Thank you @yuri-plisetsky for sharing it!!’_

_@Cats23NYC said ‘@yuri-plisetsky is an artist and a god. HOW did I not know about the #MeowTownCafé?’_

_@LoveYouALatte said ‘Not only are the adoptable cats at #MeowTownCafé SO CUTE, the lattes made by the owner, Otabek Altin, are to DIE for (and might I add that he is delicious? ;))! I’ll definitely be coming back with my friends as often as we can! Thanks @yuri-plisestky for the discovery!’_

The tags went on and on. Yuri flushed at the comment by LoveYouALatte about Otabek. He honestly had managed to lose himself in the moment of taking photos, and had managed to escape from reality for a little bit. Yuri shook his head and decided it was time to go home to continue editing photos. Better to focus on work and get some new images uploaded.

The next several days were spent editing his latest project, a series of street scenes taken at unexpected angles. Yuri was trying to buff up his portfolio and take a stab at photos other than simple photoshoots - which he loved, of course, but he was constantly experimenting with his photography, always looking through the lens in a different mindset. Yuri stretched at his computer desk, rubbing his eyes. He had been sitting at that desk for far too long. He needed to get some fresh air again.

In the days following Yuri uploading the Meow Town Café photos to his social media accounts, he had continued to get pinged with notifications. People kept tagging him in their Twitter and Instagram posts, but it had mostly calmed down from that initial Sunday’s flood. He hadn’ t been able to stop thinking about the cafe, or those deep, calm eyes...

Yuri snapped himself out of his thoughts. It wasn’t too far of a trek to get to the cafe from his and Mila’s apartment. He googled the address again and threw on his jacket, packing up his camera bag. Yuri made a mad dash to the closest Subway stop to his apartment. He had to switch lines a couple of times, and had to pull up the address again for himself since Mila had merely led him to the cafe the previous weekend. Half an hour later, he finally made it to the front window of the Meow Town Café, only to find it absolutely packed with customers. His excitement at returning to the cafe burst, and his shoulders slumped as he started to walk away. He could just grab coffee at a Starbucks, there was no way he was getting in...

“Yuri! Wait!” A voice called out behind him. Yuri turned to find the object of his thoughts for the past few days leaning out of the front door, a messy red apron tied around his waist with the cafe’s name emblazoned across it. The longer strands of hair were disheveled and one section flopped over the other man’s eyes. Otabek looked flushed and frantic.

“I- Yuri, I know that we only just met and this is going to sound strange, but could you maybe lend a hand for a little bit?” Otabek raked his hand through his hair, attempting to put it back into place and failing miserably. The image made Yuri’s heart clench. “It’ s just me and Sara in here and we have been completely swarmed this week and could use the help.”

Yuri blinked. “I don‘t know how to make coffee, Otabek. I do n’t really know what help I can be for you guys in there...”

“Please, you can interact with the customers and make sure the cats are doing okay. It would be a massive help.” Otabek had one hand outstretched to Yuri, pleading with his eyes.

Yuri glanced at Otabek’s proffered hand, then back at his face. He reached out and grasped Otabek’s hand in his.

“Okay.”

—

Several hours later, the last of the crowd had left, along with a number of people who would be returning later that day after hours to fill out the adoption papers for some of the cats. Yuri was happy to find out that his two cuddly friends from the front window the day before were going to be adopted together by a middle aged couple who lived in Astoria. Puma Tiger Scorpion had turned up her nose at the crowds, and had opted to stay high in the cat tree tower away from everyone until the majority of the customers had left. The most anyone had seen of her was her tail, and no amount of coaxing or treats could bring her down from her perch.

Otabek and Sara heaved a sigh of relief as Otabek locked the door behind the last customer, putting up a ‘back in 15!’ sign in the doorway. The trio collapsed on the squishy chairs in the main room. Sara started bubbling with laughter, and it was like it was contagious. They were so very tired that they couldn’t stop laughing, and Yuri looked at Otabek, a huge grin on his face as he stared up at him from the floor cushion Yuri had claimed as his own.

“Thank you, Yuri, you were a _lifesaver_ ,” Otabek said. “We haven‘t been open long, only a couple of months, and have never had crowds like that before in the cafe. It has been constant the past few days, I have no idea what changed!”

“Yeah, you were amazing,” Sara added, giving Yuri a tired high five. “Thanks so much for talking to all the customers and keeping them happy with the cats. You showed up at just the right time.”

“Not a problem,” Yuri replied. He paused and then said, “To be honest, I think the crowds may have been my fault.” Puma Tiger Scorpion chose that moment to deign them with her presence. She jumped down from her perch where she had been hiding and forced her way onto Yuri’s lap, demanding to be pet. He snorted and obliged her, patting her gently.

Otabek’s eyebrows bunched forward, a look of confusion on his face.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Yuri scratched the back of his head. “I got my film from Saturday morning rush developed, and posted a couple of the photos to my social media accounts that night. I’m a professional photographer and have a pretty big fanbase on social media...” He paused. “Sorry, that sounded like bragging. I’m not bragging. Anyway, my phone blew up asking where they could find you guys, so I gave the address. I didn’t think much of it until I got here today.”

“Yuri, that’s amazing!” Sara clapped her hands together, smiling at him.

Otabek ran a hand through his still-messy hair. “We haven’t had much foot traffic since the shop opened up. We thought that maybe it was the location, or that people weren’t as interested as we thought they would be... It has been a bit rough. Thank you.”

Yuri was taken aback. “A cat cafe? Not doing well? What‘s your marketing budget? Or social media presence?”

Otabek smiled wryly. “I admit to being completely oblivious where it comes to social media. I set up the accounts, but I don’t know if it’s the photos I take or I’m just not doing something right...”

Yuri had already pulled up his Instagram app on his phone and had searched for the Meow Town Café’s account. He bit back a laugh.

“Well, having your name spelled right would be a good start, Otabek.” He held the phone out to Otabek, and he squinted to read the words. The man smacked himself in the face.

“Oh god... _Moew_ Town Cafe? How did I not notice that?”

Yuri snorted and brought the phone back to his face. “Well, besides the obvious spelling error, your posts are...not the best photos in the world. You need to focus on how you frame each shot, and the captions should be more than the hashtag ‘cat.’”

Otabek and Sara shared a glance, and Otabek nodded his head at the woman.

“Yuri, would you be interested in becoming our social media manager?” Otabek asked. “I‘ll pay you... as much as I can, anyway. We don’t have much room in the budget right now...”

Yuri sized the man up, glancing up from his phone. Otabek was obviously trying to hide the fact that he was struggling. He sighed, calculating in his head quickly. “I don‘t need you to pay me. If you pay for my film, I would love to take photos of your cats.”

“Yuri, that isn’t necessary, I—”

“No really,” Yuri cut him off. “I like the vibe in here and your cats are awesome. I want to help out. It’s no big deal.”

“If you’re sure...” Otabek trailed off.

“I am. Give me the login info for your Instagram page?” Yuri tapped the button to add another account to his app and held the phone out to Otabek.

Yuri spent the next few minutes lounging on the floor cushion while Otabek and Sara reopened the shop and a new crowd of customers started trickling in. His first order of business was to correct the spelling of the account’s username, and with that taken care of he scrolled through his photos for one of the many he had uploaded to it from the shots he’d taken over the weekend. It was one of the cats he didn‘t know the name of, peeking out of one of the tunnels Otabek had built up high on the tower. He snagged Otabek as he passed him and got the name of the cat, then proceeded to type.

_@MeowTownCafe 'Peek a boo! One of our many adoptable cats wants to say hello. Stop by the #MeowTownCafe this week to meet Mr. Fox. #catlover #nyccafe #catcafe #catsofinstagram'_

—

When Yuri wasn’t at his computer editing photos or out in the City at photo shoots, he found himself spending his down time at the Meow Town Café, curled up with his laptop or phone on the floor cushion or at a table. Sara and Otabek would bring him lattes without asking, and Puma Tiger Scorpion always managed to find her way onto his lap. Yuri petted her absentmindedly while he worked, building up the cafe’s social media presence on Twitter and Facebook, as well as Instagram. When his followers realized that he was in the Meow Town Café, they started showing up to see him and the cats whenever they had the chance, giggling to themselves and taking photos with the cats to post to their own social media accounts.

Business picked up in the Meow Town Café, and as the months passed and it turned to summer, Otabek was able to hire another worker and relieve some of the burden from his shoulders. The new kid, Leo, was calm and cheerful, and happy to help.

“You know, you really should adopt Potya,” Leo told Yuri one day. He was sipping on a latte at his corner table, Puma Tiger Scorpion in his lap purring contentedly. “She’s practically adopted you as it is, and she doesn’t like anyone else who walks in the doors.”

Yuri looked down at the ragdoll cat in his lap. He had grown to love the beautiful cat, and he really didn’t know what he would do if he came in one day and she were gone…

“You know, you’re right, Leo,” Yuri said, patting Puma Tiger Scorpion’s head lightly, making her stretch in her sleep and then she curled up again more tightly than before.

That afternoon, Yuri went out and bought a cat carrier. He trekked all the way back to the cafe with it and when Otabek looked up from the counter, there was surprise etched on his face.

Yuri set down the cat carrier and leaned on the counter between him and Otabek. “I’ve been dancing around this for a while, so I‘ve decided that it’s time, so-”

“Will you go out with me?” Otabek blurted out.

“-I want to adop...wait what?” Yuri asked.

Otabek flushed, stammering. “I-I thought, I mean, you sounded like you were going to- never mind, it was nothing.”

Yuri reached out over the counter with both hands and tugged Otabek forward by the lapels of his button-up. He leaned forward, eyes sparking, and kissed the other man tentatively. It was gentle, Yuri unsure of if this was what Otabek wanted, but he figured it was worth a shot. Otabek groaned against his mouth, and curled his fingers in Yuri’s long hair, returning the kiss with an intensity that Yuri hadn’t expected but made him smile into the kiss.

They broke off to the sound of a phone’s camera shutter. The culprit was none other than Sara, who had the decency to look ashamed even as she quickly sent the photo off in a text to Mila.

“What?” Sara asked. “You two have been flirting for ages, Mila and I were wondering if you were ever going to make the leap and actually _do something_ about it.”

Sara made herself scarce after that, cleaning up in the back room. Yuri and Otabek grinned at each other, and Yuri released Otabek’s shirt, realizing that he was still holding on pretty tightly to him.

“Well,” Yuri said, running a hand through his hair.

“Uhm yes... you were saying something about adopting?” Otabek changed the subject.

“Oh, right!” Yuri said. “I want to adopt Puma Tiger Scorpion. I don’t know why it took me so long, when she really only has warmed up to me and I’ve been meaning to get a cat for ages.”

Otabek grinned at him. “That’s great, of course you can adopt her. Let me grab the paperwork...”

They spent the next half hour talking and taking care of paperwork side by side at the counter, while Potya sat happily sunning herself in the window. Once everything was finalized, Yuri looked up to Otabek.

“So... about that date.”

Otabek scratched his neck and glanced away from Yuri.

“Help me bring Puma Tiger Scorpion home, and take me to dinner?” Yuri asked.

The other man smiled and leaned forward to give Yuri a peck on the lips, a bright flush on his cheeks. “Absolutely.”

  


They didn’t find out until the next day that Sara had given Mila the password to the Meow Town Café’s Instagram. The redhead posted the photo of them kissing, one of the shop’s cats looking over their shoulders from the counter.

_@MeowTownCafe 'Love is in the air! Meow Town Café owner Otabek and @yuri-plisetsky have an audience. ;) #firstkiss #socute #catsofinstagram'_


End file.
